Card-index or the like.



No. 769,855. PATENTED SEPT. 13, 1904.

B.'BROWEH.

CARD INDEX OR THE LIKE.

APPLIGATIOX I XLED nov. 10. 1901.

I0 IODEL.

.- asst mada ECO? Patented September 13, 1904.

PATENT. OFFICE.

BLOOMFIELD BROWER, OF NEW YORK, Y. i

CARD-INDEX OR THE LIKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 769,855, dated September 13, 1904.

Application 513a November 16,1901. Serial Nos2,5os. or. mad.)

To (all whom. it may concern:

Be it known that 1, BLOOMFIELI) Bnowsu, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, county of New York, and State of New York. have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Card-Indexes or the Like, Z fully described and represented in the following specification and the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same.

T his invention relates to improvements in (iiil'd-llltlCXUS, the improvements of the present invention as a whole having for their obcct the provision of a card-index which is more compact and can be more conveniently manipg ulated than the card-indexes in existence prior to the prcscnt'mvention.

The invention also relates to improvements 1 in different parts or members of the card-index--that is to say, in the guiding member which extends longitudinally of the card-rc- .reptacle and which engages and interlocks with the index-cards, in the follower which slides on and is guided by such guiding memberand engagcsand supports the stack ofcards in vertical position, and in the index-cards and memorandum-cards.

As a full understanding of the several improvements of the present invention can best be had from a detailed description of an or- 1 ganization embodying the same, such dcscripf tion will now be given in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a cardindex embodying the present invention. Fig. f

2 is a cross-section of the same, taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is adctail view in perspective of a follower of a different form from that shown in Fig. 1. lar view of another form of follower. Fig. 5 isa perspective view of one of the index-cards which is provided with novel means for engaging the guiding member of the card-index, said guiding member being shown by dotted lines as in engagement with the index-card; and Fig. f

6 is a similar view of another form of index- Referring to Figs. 1, 2, and 3 of said drawings, 1 indicates a suitable receptacle; b, indexcards; 0, memorandum-cards stacked bet ween Fig. i is a simil the index-cards; (I. a follower which. as shown .in Fig. 1, engages the stack of index and memorandum cards and supports the same in vertical position, and r a guiding member upon which the index-cards are strung and which interlocks with the follower J. so as to guide it in its movements longitudinally of the box to and from the stack of cards and at the same time prevent vertical displacement thereof.

1 The receptacle 0 is of usual construction except that by reason of certain peculiarities in the construction and armngement of the index-cards 71, follower '1', and guiding mem' her a, forming part of the present invention and to which reference will be hereinafter 1 made. the height of the receptacle is reduced to a substantial extent, which is of considerable importance, as these card-indcxesare used in large numbers in otiiccs and libraries, and it is therefore necessary to economize as much as possible the space which they occupy.

l The receptacle is provided at what may be 5 termed its rear end with a block f, secured to the box, and the front face of which, facing the stack of index and memorandum cards, is inclined, so that the index and memorandum dum-card.

@ in such way as to provide a space between its under side and the bottom of the receptacle, and to the under side of the blockf is se 7 cured one end of the guiding member a, the opposite end of said guiding membcr'being f rec, as shown in Fig. 1. The guiding memher 0 is made of spring metal, the resiliency of which tends to force its free end toward the bottom of the receptacle, and is prefer-- ably in the form of a Hat strip and located in close proximity to the bottom of the receptacle. One result of this construction and arrangement of the guiding member is that it f occupies but little space vertically of the receptacle, which reduces the height of the receptacle, and at. the same time this guiding member provides a broad fiat seat for'the memorandum-cards, which will support and cards may be spread apart by hand at their upper ends when it is desired to consult a mem'v orandum or to insert or remove a memoran- The block f is secured to the receptacle (il I l l Fem AvAmeLis-co maintain said cards in true vertical position l 0, as shown in Fig. 5. The. advantageof this and in proper alinement with each other. The guiding member being resilient also and free at one end, the lndex-cards b and follower (I can be readily slipped on and off by simply raising the free end of the guiding .member e, as illustrated by dotted lines in Fig. 1. By reason also of the resiliency of the guiding member 0 and its close proximity to the bottom of the receptacle the index-cards l1 and follower (I, particularly when constructed according to the present invention, as hereinafter described, are held steadily in position in the receptacle.

The follower d is formed from a sheetmetal blank bent so as to provide a base (1', preferably flat, which when the follower is in position in the receptacle (1 rests upon the bottom thereof, as shown, and a triangular body portion which engages the stack of index and memorandum cards 11 c. The triangular body portion of the follower (I is provided just above the base 01 the follower with an opening J, which is elongated or in the form of a slot corresponding to the shape in cross-section of the guiding member e and through which said guiding member passes, as shown. The follower (I is also provided with a lip (1, formed by striking up the metal above the opening (P, which engages the upper surface of the guiding member, the follower, by reason of such engagement and the engagement of its base (I' with the under side of the guiding member, being frictionally locked to the latter against displace ment when itis-in engagement with the stack of index and memorandum cards.

Both faces of the follower I] may be inclined, as shown in Fig. 1, or only one face thereof may be inclined, and the face which is thus inclined maybe that next the stack of index and memorandum cards, as shown in Fig. 3, or that which is away from such stack of cards, as shown in Fig. 4.

The index-card I; is of novel construction, being provided at its base with a flap 6', which when the card is in the receptacle rests under and engages the under side of the guiding member 0, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the body portion of the card just above the flap being provided with a slot or elongated opening b, corresponding to the shape in cross section of the guiding member 13, which passes through said openin The flap 7/ rests upon the bottom of the receptacle and by reason of its engagement with the under surface of the guiding member, which is in close proximity to the bottom of the receptacle, supports the body of the index-card steadily in proper vertical position. The flap b' may be continuous, as shown in Fig. 6, but will prefer ably be slit in line with opening 5, so as to leave angular projecting portions 11 for engaging the under side of the guiding member construction is that an index-card so formed may be introduced between the index and memorandum cards already in the receptacle and engaged with the guiding member e without removing the index-cards already strung upon the guiding member, whereas with an index-card of the form shown in Fig. 6 such engagementof the base (1' and lip (F of the follower with the under and upper sides of the guiding member a the follower cannot be pushed back by the pressure of the stack of cards, but under such pressure more firmly engages the guiding member, whereas the follower can be readily moved back and forth by hand by seizing it at its lower end and moving it in the desired direction.

'hat I claim is- 1. The combination in a suitable receptacle, of a resilient guiding member free at one end and extending longitudinally of the receptacle in close proximity to the bottom thereof, and a follower comprising a base, the under sur face whereof rests upon the bottom of the receptacle and'the upper surface whereof engages the under side of the guiding member, and a body portion extending upwardly from said base and provided with an opening through which the guiding member passes, substantially as described.

2. The combination in a suitable receptacle, of a resilient guiding member free at one end and extending longitudinally of the receptacle in close proximity to the bottom thereof, and a follower comprising a base, the under surface whereof rests upon the bottom of the receptacle and the upper surfacenhereof engages the under side of the guiding member, and a body portion extending upwardly from said base and provided with a transverse slot or elongated opening through which the guiding member passes. said guiding mcmbcreonforming substantially to said slot or elongated opening, substantially as described.

3. The combination in a suitable receptacle, of a resilient guiding member free at one end and consisting of a flat strip extending longitudinallv of the receptacle in close proximity to the bottom thereof, and a follower comprising a base, the under surface whereof rests upon the bottom of the receptacle and the upper surface whereof engages the under s de of the guiding member, and a body portion extending upwardly from said base and provided with a transverse slot or elongated opening corresponding to the. shape in cross-section of the guiding member and through which IXO of a resilient guiding member-free at one end eesravaitaete be? said guiding member passes, substantially as described. I l

4. The combination in a suitable receptacle, andextending longitudinally of the receptacle in close proximity to the bottom thereof, and a follower comprising a base, the under surf face whereof rests upon the bottom of the ref ceptacleand the upper surface whereof engages the under side of the guiding member,

and'a body portion extending upwardly from j said base and provided .with an opening 5 through which the guiding member passes and with means extending away from the base and said opening for engaging the upper surj face of the guiding member, substantially as described. I 5. The combination in a suitable receptacle, of a suitable guiding member extending longitudinally of the receptacle, and a follower made from a single piece of sheet metal and comprising base (I' and a body portion bent upwardly therefrom and then downwardly, one face of said body portion thus formed be- 5 ing inclined, substantially as described. 6. Thecombination in a suitable receptacle, of a suitable guiding member extending lon- I gitudinally of the receptacle, and a follower made from a single piece of sheet metal and 5 comprising base (1' and a body portion bent upwardly therefrom and then downwardly, j the face of'said body portion next the stack 5 of cards being inclined, substantially as def scribed. l 7. The combination in a suitable receptacle, of a suitable guiding member extending lougitudinally of the receptacle and a follower i made from a single piece of sheet metal and comprising base d and a body portion bent adapted to engage the under side of said guiding member and thereby hold the card in position. substantially as described.

10. An indexcard provided with a flap at its 5 base and above said flap with an opening for the passage of a guiding member, said flap being slit in line with said opening and provided with portions extending toward each other to engage the under side of such guiding memher and thereby hold the card in position, substantially as described.

11. An index-card provided with a flap at its base and'abore said flap with a slot for the passage of a guiding member, said flap being slit in line with said slot and provided with portions extending toward each other to engage the under side'of such guiding member and thereby hold the card in position, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

BLOOMFIELD BROVVER.

\Vitnesses:

T. F. Ksaos, \V. H. KENNEDY. 

